MONDAY 1 FEBRUARY
I always like the first of February. In Ireland some say it’s the first day of spring. It’s also the feast day of that great pagan goddess St Bridget. I can see the hawberry buds on the trees in the front garden turning red.
There are now clear models appearing to predict what will happen as the vaccine takes effect in the older and vulnerable people, and it looks good. If the top four priority groups in the UK are vaccinated, the death rate is predicted to fall by 90 per cent. This is the magic we want. I was upbeat with Pat this morning. It will happen and the fear will dissipate.
Some of the data that generated the press releases last week were revealed. All the vaccines are now known to prevent severe disease and death by 100 per cent. There were 20,000 people on the Novavax trial. Over 43,000 on the Johnson & Johnson trial. One word: remarkable. (I didn’t say ‘gangbusters’!) Also mentioned though how Merck and Sanofi had failed in their attempt to make a vaccine, which is a surprise because they are big vaccine companies. Just shows you – it’s never a slam-dunk.
Had to do some marking today. Three final-year essays. Important for the students. They were all excellent, so I gave them good marks. Perhaps I’m becoming a softie.
TUESDAY 2 FEBRUARY
Yet more excellent news on vaccines – the AstraZeneca vaccine is reported to decrease transmission of the virus by 67 per cent. Now, this is great if it holds up, because it means that people who are vaccinated will also not be spreading it as much, and so the virus begins to go away. Another step down the tunnel towards the light.
Cork tomorrow. Yes, Cork! I’m being interviewed in person on The Today Show with Maura and Dáithí. I’m heading out of Dublin! The excitement. I have a letter giving me permission to travel and I put Sam on as my assistant, which is allowed. He can carry my bag but also help with some of the research on what I will be talking about. He’s excited too.
Watched the last two episodes of The Terror. Spoiler alert: Captain Crozier stays with the Inuit. Weird but happy, sitting in animal fur with the sun streaming around him. Maybe that’s another parallel with the pandemic: that we will all learn to live with the virus.
WEDNESDAY 3 FEBRUARY
Call today with GSK on their Otilimab therapy. This blocks an inflammatory protein called GMCSF, which was discovered by an old friend from Melbourne, John Hamilton. It seems to help in the over-70s, reducing deaths by 20 per cent. It’s blocking macrophages and neutrophils in the lungs from doing harm. The disease looks to be a bit different in the over-70s and may well be driven more by GMCSF, so it’s well worth pursuing. It was so exciting to see the data when they revealed it. Clear effect. Could be important.
Over to Heuston for the train to Cork. Disaster struck! They announced that the train was delayed, not clear for how long. Something on the line. What? Cows? Sam and I waited a good two hours on cold seats in freezing Heuston and eventually went home because I had to do a call with Ian Robertson for the A Lust for Life podcast. Had the train left on time I would have made it to Cork to record it. We discussed the situation on COVID-19 and Ian covered the mental distress aspect. Huge number of questions. Ian and I are like a double-act – I said Laurel and Hardy for some reason. This can’t be right, as we’re both tall.
THURSDAY 4 FEBRUARY
It was a good call not to go to Cork, as I enjoyed last night and had a mini lie-in this morning. One of those nice ones, where you’re not bothered by much. Up for Pat, though. The International Chamber of Commerce are saying that the global economy will lose $9.2 trillion if the developing world isn’t vaccinated. This is because global supply chains are being compromised, and there is a risk of new variants emerging. Pregnancy is also a high risk – a three-fold higher risk of hospitalisation and a higher risk of pre-term birth. Reassured any pregnant women listening that the vaccine was safe for them.
SUNDAY 7 FEBRUARY
I was so bored today that I watched the rugby. Ireland versus Wales. What’s happening to me? I’m becoming a sports fan. I did snooze on the couch though. People are surprised when I tell them I have only limited interest in sport. Each to their own. I mean, what is the point of chasing after a funny-shaped ball? Not that I’m knocking people who like it. Does it relieve boredom? Or tap into something primordial? I read somewhere that sport is basically safe warfare and that we are evolved to fight. That may be true but where does that leave me? In the trenches hiding, I guess.
Also ironed 11 shirts. A record for me and very satisfying. There’s something so soothing about ironing. The heat and steam and nice smell off the cotton. And smoothing something out. Good Lord, I must be desperate. And facing six more months of this kind of life?
MONDAY 8 FEBRUARY
A report has claimed that dexamethasone has saved 500,000 people. A simple drug like that, which I worked on during my PhD. Wow! On with Pat and I made everyone envious by saying how the UK expects to vaccinate all the over-50s by 7 April. Sob – why not us?
Spent four hours making a fundraising film for Senda, the Boston-based company I’m on the board of. It’s for their website and for fundraising. The sound man, who I knew from other shoots, was amazed at what the company was doing, making an orally active vaccine for COVID-19 and improving anti-cancer and Parkinson’s therapies. It was a bit of kick to describe it all. Senda could well help make vaccines available orally, which would make a huge difference not just for rich countries but the developing world too. Dead cool.
On with Claire Byrne again, in a bubble like the ones used at the recent Flaming Lips gig. I went in one, Bernard O’Shea went in another, and Claire interviewed us. I said I was doing it to help my musician friends who are desperate to get back to gigging, and if this is one way to do it, then go for it! You never know. Some smart promoter might take it on
Felt great when I got home. I made a ham, cheese and pickle sandwich to go with a huge cup of tea. Such excitement. Got a funny text off Brian: Fuck’s sake, Luke. You’ve got a PhD in immunology and they stuck you in a fucking bubble?!
TUESDAY 9 FEBRUARY
Gave a talk to all the CEIST (Catholic schools) principals and it was magical – 217 people tuned in. A lot of principals. Started with prayers and then some interesting pieces from students. One was about the painting Nighthawks by Edward Hopper. I love that painting too, and the student wrote so eloquently about it – the isolation and loneliness and mystery of it. Drew parallels with lockdown, obviously enough. Someone also read out a Carl Sagan quote, which really got me: ‘For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.’ A lot of talk about how spring brings hope. I’d almost become a Catholic again! Such well-meaning people. Gave them a big update and said how schools will be safe places. Adopt the measures and don’t worry.
WEDNESDAY 10 FEBRUARY
Interviewed this morning in the RDS at the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation. It’s the big annual meeting and this year it’s mainly remote. Met Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Ireland. They do such a good job for our country, but there is such anxiety now, of course. He said the whole industry was in a huge state of anxiety and uncertainty. Gave them the update on how by summer life should be back a bit anyway. Paul said the ad campaign will again be hugely focused on the home market, which will of course depend on lifting travel restrictions in Ireland.
THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY
Pat and I covered the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which will be used to vaccinate one eighth of the world’s population. Told everyone how there is less and less evidence that you can catch COVID-19 off surfaces. This might lead to a policy shift. A bit of dirt helps the immune system tell the difference between friend and foe. I hope we don’t see an upsurge in allergies and asthma in the coming years.
Today was absolutely brill, just one of those great days that come along now and again. All four parts of my working life got attention. Communication – gave a talk to the Dún Laoghaire Arthritis Group and recorded two more podcasts at Newstalk. Data – Hauke gave a lab talk with some interesting ideas. Students – recorded two more lectures. New medicines – call with the pharmaceutical company AbbVie about recent developments in our lab: new possible targets for anti-inflammatories..
TUESDAY 16 FEBRUARY
Gave a talk to a Gaelscoil in Leixlip. The teachers were so grateful. Something different for the students. Learned a new phrase: ‘Tá tú ar mhute!’
WEDNESDAY 17 FEBRUARY
Session with the Irish Gerontological Society. They said they never had so many people joining a session before. Thousands. And thousands who couldn’t get in. Yet again, such an appetite, and obviously that is the age group who are most concerned. It was a thrill to do it. I told them all how to keep their immune systems healthy, both to ward off infection and to get ready for the vaccine. Good to give practical advice as well as science.
Worked from home today. It was tough. Too many damn tasks with other ones hanging over me. Still, got through them.
On with PJ Coogan on Cork FM. Looks like the world might be turning a corner, with case numbers everywhere falling. But it’s a mess in the US, where the number of deaths now stands at 500,000. Getting close to the 1918 pandemic, which killed 670,000. A travesty.
Also covered the COVID-19 endgame, which he was delighted to hear! I said how it might be in sight.
Was on Prime Time with Miriam. She had read last Sunday’s interview with me in the Sunday Times, where I mentioned how me and Tony Connelly were big pals and how we played music together in London and Cambridge. We used to drink and play in a pub called the Geldart. I spoke about how there was an Irish landlady called Mary there who used to feed us, and when I got the lectureship back in Trinity she was delighted for me. She said that that was everyone’s dream – to go back home. I also mentioned how Andy Irvine (famously of Planxty) came to do a gig one night. We had a lock-in (as was normal) and at 1 a.m. there was a knock on the door. We thought it was the police, but it was Andy. He said he came back as he’d forgotten to say goodbye to Mary.
We chatted about the AstraZeneca vaccine, which some people won’t take, because they say it’s not as good as the others. I reminded everyone how it is 100 per cent effective at stopping severe disease and death, so take it! For God’s sake, take it!
MONDAY 22 FEBRUARY
Pat and I discussed nicknames for the different strains: Eric, Nelly. Nelly is more transmissible. Eric might be somewhat resistant to the vaccines. Pat made a joke: what about antibodies to Nelly? Aunty Nelly? Someone emailed me after to thank me for making the variants easy to understand.
Israel reopened yesterday with restrictions, including needing a vaccine certificate to be allowed into a gym. Life is slowly returning there.
TUESDAY 23 FEBRUARY
Gave another mega talk on COVID-19, this time to Comfort Carers. This is a huge organisation caring for people in their homes. Loads of questions, about the vaccines mainly. Several from concerned pregnant women, so I was happy to reassure them.
Government announced that nothing will change until 5 April. Six more weeks of this ragged life.
Up to Newstalk. Recorded an interview with Adrian Hill on the Oxford vaccine. It was great! He gave a really good account of it. How they realised early they would have to give it away at cost until the pandemic is over. How the mess-up in the trial was explained by the gap between the two shots – 12 weeks is best. How the approach they are using is good for booster shots with new variants. Can’t wait for it to be broadcast.
THURSDAY 25 FEBRUARY
On the show this morning I said that the government should allow golf, tennis and group cycling. It’s so important for people’s mental health and overall well-being. They’ll have to do something for people, otherwise there will be a revolution.
We moved onto the Valneva vaccine, which is made in France. It’s the whole inactivated virus, so could well work against all variants, as it will recognise lots of parts of it, many of which won’t have changed. The other vaccines work against only one part: the spike protein. If the spike protein changes too much the vaccine might fail because it will only train the immune system to recognise the previous version. This is less likely to be a problem with the Valneva vaccine as it will train the immune system to recognise lots of parts of the virus and they won’t all change in variants that arise. They used a similar approach for their vaccine against Japanese encephalitis. The vaccine has an immune booster that goes through TLR9 – one of my favourite immune proteins that really gets the immune system going.
Also discussed how quarantine hotels weren’t ideal, because spread happened from them. There was positive pressure on hotel rooms: open the door and the air rushes into the corridor, bringing virus with it. The virus actually jumped across the corridor into the room opposite, infecting the people in that room. I felt it was important to cover this, as we are about to start hotel quarantine here.
Saw on the news that the global death toll now exceeds 2.5 million.
FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY
The interview I did with Mature Living magazine came out and caused a flurry. My Grafton Street assault was mentioned. Irish Daily Mirror and Claire Byrne Live wanted to know more.
SATURDAY 27 FEBRUARY
I found today’s events disturbing, to say the least. A protest against lockdown on Grafton Street turned into a riot. Garda were assaulted. Someone got footage of a guy shooting a firework at the Guards. Appalling scenes. I hate violence of any kind.
SUNDAY 28 FEBRUARY
Well, now! I was on RTÉ Radio One with Tony Connelly for Sunday with Miriam. She interviewed us and we talked about how we met and how much music meant to us. People sent in photos of us playing from years ago. Claire O’Connell sent in a message saying how when she met Tony and said to him that she heard he was in my band, he had said, ‘Oh no, Luke is in my band.’ Big response to it. I guess people are surprised but there was also delight. I suggested they play ‘500 Miles’ by The Proclaimers, as that was one we used to play together. I said how Tony’s brother Stephen had put us on to them. He’d seen them on a music programme called The Tube. Stephen tragically died of cancer a few years back. Miriam dedicated the song to him, so a wee tear welled up! Good Lord, I think it’s 20 years since he passed. All in all, a lovely thing. Yet another unusual thing in these strangest of times. ‘500 Miles’ sounded great in my kitchen, and the memories rushed back at me.
Wrote a piece for The Conversation on how long protection might last against COVID-19. A dense sea fog then rolled in. Went for a walk and it was eerie. There was a white rainbow in the fog, a rare event.
Gen from Claire Byrne Live asked me to talk about being assaulted on Grafton Street. She also told me that Wayne Coyne, of the actual Flaming Lips, had seen the picture of me and Bernard in our bubbles and sent it out in Instagram. Like, wow!